{"id":6037,"date":"2016-03-23T23:25:04","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T23:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rationalargumentator.com\/index\/?p=6037"},"modified":"2016-03-23T23:25:04","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T23:25:04","slug":"public-education-protected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rationalargumentator.com\/index\/blog\/2016\/03\/public-education-protected\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Education Is Superior and Must Be Protected from Competition – Article by Kevin Currie-Knight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"The<\/a>Kevin Currie-Knight<\/span>
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Opponents of School Choice Can’t Make Up Their Minds<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Defenders of public education often point to data showing public schools to be as good as or better than private alternatives. A recent book celebrating such data is The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Public schools, according to the authors, tend to outperform private rivals on a variety of metrics. Such groups as the National Education Association teachers\u2019 union<\/a> have used this research to make a case against \u201cprivatization.\u201d (The book\u2019s research has been criticized<\/a> in some quarters<\/a> for using flawed research methods, and other data show<\/a> that private schools tend to outperform public ones.)<\/p>\n

But when school choice proposals make legislative headway and threaten public school systems, this confidence seems to evaporate. People start fulminating about how school choice programs would effectively crush the public education system.<\/p>\n

If competition from private education would doom public schools, then how confident can the public system\u2019s proponents really be about the schools they\u2019re defending? And if public education really is superior to private alternatives, why worry that people would prefer private schools if given a choice?<\/p>\n

Spotting the Monopoly<\/strong>
\nImagine that I am a spokesperson for the dominant car dealership in your area, and you\u2019ve been hearing good things about a rival dealership. Not to worry, I convince you: our cars outperform theirs on a variety of metrics.<\/p>\n

Now, imagine that that rival car company is about ready to open up a dealership down the street, and you hear me petition to the legislature not to allow it: \u201cPermitting this other dealership to move in will surely spell the death of our company. Once people are allowed another option, it is only a matter of time before our profits dwindle to the point where we can\u2019t sustain our business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait,\u201d you say, \u201cI thought you just told me how confident you were in the superiority of your cars. Surely, if you are that confident, you wouldn\u2019t be so worried about competition!\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019d be right. And this situation is basically the one we are in regarding American public schools. Proponents point to data showing that, on several metrics, public schools fare no worse and sometimes better than private schools. Yet, when local governments entertain school choice programs, the public system\u2019s defenders suggest that competition will spell the death of public schooling.<\/p>\n

Either you\u2019re confident that your product is the best choice or you\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

The Sky Is Falling!<\/strong>
\nIndiana, for instance, is entertaining two bills (House Bill 1311<\/a> and Senate Bill 397<\/a>) that would allow students in the state to use money that would have been spent on their public education to receive private educational services. The Indiana State Teacher\u2019s Association website declares that this change would \u201cbe a major blow to public schools<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

We see a similar lack of confidence in reactions to Arizona\u2019s recent attempt to open up a very targeted voucher program<\/a> to all students by 2018. \u201cThis is the end of public education in Arizona<\/a>,\u201d laments state senator Steve Farley.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the fear mongering is just about rallying the troops. Maybe public school defenders know their product is superior but want to motivate their base with \u201cthe sky is falling\u201d rhetoric.<\/p>\n

But notice that such declarations about the \u201cend of public school\u201d share school choice advocates\u2019 basic assumption: given the option, consumers will leave the public schools to the point where public schools need to be concerned for their financial viability.<\/p>\n

Superior or Not \u2014 Which Is It?<\/strong>
\nLet\u2019s go back to the example of the fictional car dealership. When shopping for a car, you certainly care what the research says on the cars you\u2019re looking at. But would you be content if the car dealer told you, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to look into that other car manufacturer. I assure you, lots of studies show that our cars are better than theirs on a variety of metrics\u201d?<\/p>\n

My guess is that you\u2019d keep the claim in mind but look at the other dealer\u2019s cars anyway. Yes, you want the best car, but you also want the flexibility to decide which car is best for you<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When you then hear the car manufacturer\u2019s lobbyists worrying to the legislature that allowing competitors into your area would surely spell the death of their employer\u2019s company, it seems like cause for concern. The most plausible explanation \u2014 which the car manufacturer would never admit \u2014 is that they really are worried that consumers would prefer the competitors if given a choice.<\/p>\n

When a car dealership, a school system or anyone else believes that competition will destroy their business, you can assume they aren\u2019t confident about what they\u2019re selling and wonder if their product or service is inferior.<\/p>\n

Public school proponents can\u2019t have it both ways. Under school choice programs like the ones Indiana and Arizona are considering, public schools will compete for funding with private educational services. Students who choose public schools will send their \u201ctuition\u201d money to their chosen public school. Therefore, the only way these choice programs could kill public schooling is if families en masse choose, and continue to choose<\/em>, to direct public dollars away from the government\u2019s school system and into private schools.<\/p>\n

And if that\u2019s what parents prefer for their children, then why shouldn\u2019t they have that choice?<\/p>\n

Kevin Currie-Knight teaches in East Carolina University\u2019s Department of Special Education, Foundations, and Research. His website is KevinCK.net<\/a>. He is a member of the FEE Faculty Network<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article was originally published by The Foundation for Economic Education <\/a>and may be freely distributed, subject to a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License<\/a>, which requires that credit be given to the author.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kevin Currie-Knight ****************************** Opponents of School Choice Can’t Make Up Their Minds Defenders of public education often point to data showing public schools to be as good as or better than private alternatives. A recent book celebrating such data is The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools. Public schools, according to the authors, tend to outperform private rivals on a variety of metrics. Such groups as the National Education Association teachers\u2019 union have used this research to…<\/p>\n

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